18 November 2008

American Prior

As we mentioned a week ago, the Priory in the United States of America recently has its annual investiture ceremony in Washington, DC. One of the most important events at that ceremony was the installation of a new Prior. Nick Drexel had been the Prior since the foundation of the Priory in 1997. The new Prior is Alfred Marshall Acuff, Jr. of Midlothian, Virginia. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the University of Michigan Graduate School of Business Administration. He has proven to be a very successful business man. He began his career at Smith Barney, and started AMA Investment Counsel, LLC in 2001. Mr Acuff was Gazetted as a serving brother in the Order on 19 July 2000. Only three years later he was promoted to the rank of officer brother and just last year he was made a commander brother. This is a pretty quick rise through the ranks of the VOSJ. Naturally, on his appointment as Prior, he was made a knight of the Order--though the London Gazette was not clear on whether he is a knight of grace or of justice. Regardless, it is amazing that it only took 8 years from his first appointment to the VOSJ to become a knight and Prior. Professor Mellows (the new Lord Prior) was on hand to invest Mr Acuff as the new American Prior. This had to happen before any of the other appointments or promotions could be made in the ceremony. We haven't been able to get our hands on a picture of the new Prior, and the only picture in our files of the old Prior is quite small...but you get the idea.

GHP - We've begun asking around about the missing lions and we'll get back to you regarding our findings.Anonymous - We're not sure if other Priors have made similar jumps. I would imagine many Governors-General have been admitted as Knights and Dames, but in Priories without a Governor-General it sounds pretty rare. It seems that usually, only those that have already slowly worked their way up to Grade II are made Priors.